LitQueuelitqueue

After

Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media

Edward S. Herman

6 of 6 directions open

More like it

1 more ↓

  • Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal

    Eric Schlosser

    An investigation into the development of the American fast food industry. It covers chemical flavoring, meatpacking, and labor practices.

    Same clinical register, still journalism

    pace0·prose-1·bleak0

Denser prose

3 more ↓

  • Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison

    Michel Foucault

    A philosophical history examines the shift from public torture to modern prison surveillance. It analyzes how power controls the body.

    Same clinical register

    pace0·prose+1·bleak0

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    clinical → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • Antifragile

    Nassim Nicholas Taleb2012

    A philosophical exploration of systems that thrive under stress and disorder. It argues against fragility in economics and personal life.

    clinical → reflective

    pace0·prose+1·bleak-1

To recover

3 more ↓

  • Starter Villain

    John Scalzi2023

    A substitute teacher inherits his uncle's secret supervillain business, including a volcano lair and talking cats.

    clinical → wry

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Playing with Fire

    Gena Showalter2006

    A barista gains elemental superpowers after being poisoned and must flee from a government agent. They eventually work together to escape.

    clinical → playful

    pace+1·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Digital Fortress

    Dan Brown1998

    The NSA's code-breaking supercomputer encounters an unbreakable algorithm. A cryptographer and a professor race to find the kill code.

    clinical → propulsive

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

Faster

3 more ↓

  • Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    Neil deGrasse Tyson2017

    A summary of the origin of the universe, the laws of physics, and the nature of space and time.

    clinical → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Steal Like an Artist

    Austin Kleon2012

    A series of short, illustrated principles for creative work. It focuses on remixing existing ideas and establishing productive daily habits.

    clinical → playful

    pace+2·prose-2·bleak-2

  • Bad Blood

    John Carreyrou2018

    A journalist tracks the rise of Elizabeth Holmes and the eventual exposure of her multibillion-dollar blood-testing startup as a fraud.

    clinical → propulsive, still journalism

    pace+2·prose-1·bleak-1

Slower

3 more ↓

  • Confessions

    Augustine of Hippo

    A 4th-century bishop writes a spiritual autobiography addressed to God. He recounts his sinful youth and his eventual conversion to Christianity.

    clinical → meditative

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-2

  • How to Read a Book

    Mortimer J. Adler1940

    This is a guide to active reading techniques for different genres. It outlines levels of reading from basic literacy to syntopical analysis.

    clinical → mysterious

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

  • The Red Book: Liber Novus

    C.G. Jung2009

    A psychologist records his visions and internal dialogues in an illuminated manuscript created during a period of intense self-exploration.

    clinical → dreamlike

    pace-1·prose+1·bleak-1

Heavier

Same clinical register, still journalism

3 more ↓

  • And the Band Played on

    Randy Shilts1987

    A journalistic account of the early AIDS epidemic. It tracks the spread of the virus and the political response from 1980 to 1985.

    clinical → earnest, still journalism

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1

  • My War Gone By, I Miss It So

    Anthony Loyd1999

    A journalist reports on the Bosnian War while grappling with his family's military legacy and a personal addiction to heroin.

    clinical → bleak, still journalism

    pace+1·prose0·bleak+1

  • Missoula

    Jon Krakauer2015

    A journalist investigates several sexual assault cases at the University of Montana. He follows the victims, the accused, and the legal process.

    clinical → earnest, still journalism

    pace+1·prose-1·bleak+1